Bill Belichick was out of the NFL before the hip-drop tackle was banned this offseason, but he’s glad it happened.
Belichick said in a discussion with Roger Goodell for the Pat McAfee Show that he supports the bane on the hip-drop tackle, which occurs when a defender wraps up a ball carrier, swivels his hips and drops onto the ball carrier’s legs.
“It’s a good thing to get rid of. There’s really no place for it. It’s just good to continue to keep the game safe for the players,” Belichick said.
Goodell said the technique has been responsible for a disproportionate number of injuries, and particularly serious injuries.
“When you see a play that is greater than 20 times the injury rate, and most of those injuries are pretty severe, they’re career ending or season ending, you’ve got to make the change,” Goodell said.
Belichick, who saw Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson suffer a serious injury on a hip-drop tackle last season, agreed.
“It’s definitely helped the game be safer,” Belichick said.
Belichick noted that defensive coaches like himself aren’t always in favor of rule changes that benefit the offense, but he is a major supporter of this change.
